Tugs (TV series)
Tugs is a British children's television series produced by Tugs Ltd., for Television South and Clearwater Features Ltd. and first broadcast on ITV from 4 April - 27 June 1989. It was created by Robert D. Cardona and David Mitton. who had previously produced the first two series of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. Set in the Roaring Twenties, the series focuses on the adventures of two anthropomorphized tugboat fleets, the Star Fleet and the Z-Stacks, who compete against each other in the fictional Bigg City Port: "the biggest harbour in the world".
The theme tune and incidental music was composed by Junior Campbell and Mike O'Donnell, who also wrote the music for Thomas & Friends.
Despite a second series being planned in advance, when TVS Television lost its franchise to Meridian Broadcasting, the series did not continue production past 13 episodes. Following the initial airing of the series throughout 1989, television rights were sold to an unknown party, while some models and sets from the series were sold to Britt Allcroft. Modified set props and tugboat models were used in Thomas & Friends from 1991 onwards, with footage from the original program being heavily dubbed and edited for use in the American children's series Salty's Lighthouse.
After Clearwater's liquidation in 1990, Mitton joined The Britt Allcroft Company to continue working on Thomas & Friends in 1991, while Cardona went on to direct Theodore Tugboat, a similarly natured animated series set in Canada. All thirteen episodes of the show were released on VHS between 1988 and 1990.
Format and production
The series consists of thirteen fifteen-minute episodes, each told by the show's narrator, Captain Star. Filming and production of the series took place throughout 1987 and 1988, in Shepperton Studios, Middlesex, where Thomas & Friends was also filmed at the time. The series was animated using live-action models, which were seen as the most realistic method of portraying real tugboats. The set featured the Clearwater Periscope lens system, a type of professional video camera used to film at the models' eye level.Each model was mounted on a wheeled chassis, which were then pulled through the water using transparent string. Remote control devices were initially tested in operating the machines, but the tugboats became too heavy and unable to move through the water. Remote controls were instead used to power other devices, such as the moving eye features of the models and some cranes.
Throughout the series, the two fleets primarily contest contracts to dock and tow larger sailing vessels and objects, including ocean liners, tramp steamers and schooners. Various other contractual obligations were also completed by the two fleets, including transportation of stone, munitions and logging fell.
Cast and characters
Star Fleet
The Star Fleet are the show's protagonists, who aim to work together to achieve contracts in the port. The models were styled upon the Crowley Maritime Corporation, founded in San Francisco in 1892. They are led by Captain Star, who narrates the series. The fleet consists of Ten Cents, Big Mac, O.J., Top Hat, Warrior, Hercules and Sunshine.Another tugboat, Boomer, is briefly a member of the Star Fleet after being found floating at sea. Boomer believes himself to be jinxed, and he certainly seems to bring trouble with him wherever he goes. After numerous nasty accidents, Captain Star sells Boomer, who is later made into a houseboat. It is unknown whether he remains part of the fleet after this. The adventures of Boomer are central to the episode "Jinxed". Grampus, a naval submarine who appears throughout the series, is purchased from the Navy by Captain Star to work for the Star Fleet. It is also unknown whether this remains after the conclusion of the series.
Z-Stacks
The Z-Stacks are the show's antagonists, who are frequently seen trying to sabotage the good work of the Star Fleet. They take on the more risky contracts in the port, at the attraction of a higher pay. The models' design was taken from the Moran Tugs of New York City. They are led by Captain Zero. The fleet consists of Zorran, Zebedee, Zak, Zug and Zip. As with the Star Fleet, Boomer also briefly worked for the Z-Stacks after being sold by the former. Despite this, Boomer was also cast out of the Z-Stacks after his explosives barge spontaneously detonated.Voice cast
- Simon Nash as Ten Cents
- Shaun Prendergast as Sunshine, Zak
- Nigel Anthony as Warrior, Zug, Burke, Coast Guard's Messenger
- John Baddeley as Top Hat, Zip, Old Rusty, Shrimpers
- Sean Barrett as Big Mac, Hercules, Captain Zero, Zebedee, Izzy Gomez, Fire Chief, Bluenose, Scuttlebutt Pete, Jack the Grappler, The Pirates, Nantucket, Blair
- Timothy Bateson as O.J., Owner of The Municipal Garbage Corporation, Big Mickey, Lord Stinker
- Lee Cornes as Grampus, Billy Shoepack
- Chris Tulloch as Zorran, Shrimpers
- JoAnne Good as Lillie Lightship
- Patrick Allen as Captain Star, Narrator
Episodes
The series also aired in Japan with Japanese voice-overs.
Merchandise, music, and home video releases
A number of items of Tugs merchandise were produced surrounding the series' release in the early 1990s, including:- Ertl models - Ten Cents and Sunshine models were produced by toy company Ertl. The full Star Fleet cast were originally to be produced, but only these two were made. None of the Z-Stacks were produced.
- Photo books
- 2 hardback annuals
- 1 hardback dot-to-dot
- Jigsaw sets
- A bed cover
- A Tugs-themed board game
- Collector's edition thimbles
- Card game
- Publicity pack
Music
The music for Tugs was composed by Mike O' Donnell and Junior Campbell on various synthesizers. Pete Zorn played the saxophone in the theme.UK VHS releases
A number of VHS versions of the series were released between 1988 and 1993 in the United Kingdom and Japan. All 13 episodes were originally twenty-minutes long, but were edited to fifteen minutes for television broadcasts, most likely due to time slot issues. Three of these videos contained three fifteen-minute episodes, while two contained two twenty-minute episodes. In addition, a number of original scenes were extended/deleted for the videos, including an alternate opening title sequence. Those released included:- "Sunshine"/"Pirate"
- "Munitions"/"4th of July"
- "Trapped"/"Ghosts"/"High Winds"
- "High Tide"/"Warrior"/"Bigg Freeze"
- "Jinxed"/"Quarantine"/"Up River"
- "Trapped"/"Ghosts"/"High Winds"/"4th of July"
Australian VHS releases
- Castle Vision
| VHS Title | Release Date | Episodes |
| TUGS - Sunshine/Pirate | 1 June 1992 | Sunshine, Pirate |
| TUGS - Munitions/4th July | 1 June 1992 | Munitions, 4th July |
| TUGS - Trapped/Ghosts/High Winds | 1 June 1992 | Trapped, Ghosts, High Winds |
| TUGS - High Tide/Warrior/Bigg Freeze | 1 June 1992 | High Tide, Warrior, Bigg Freeze |
| TUGS - Jinxed/Quarantine/Up River | 1 June 1992 | Jinxed, Quarantine, Up River |
DVD
Tugs has not yet been released on DVD as a series. In 2005, however, footage from the show was included as part of an episode of Salty's Lighthouse on the DVD Toddler Time.Preservation
TUGS - The Exhibition
In 2012, having long been presumed destroyed, the original models from the series were located and purchased by a group of fans via eBay UK. In early 2013, they established 'The Star Tugs Company Ltd' - a dedicated non-for-profit group aiming to preserve, restore and display the various models and props used in the production. The exhibition now owns the majority of the major and supporting cast, several alternate faces for the characters, various props and other related assets to the series.The exhibition is held in a railway coach, situated at Butterley station at the Midland Railway - Butterley in Derbyshire, England and is open to the public everyday when the railway runs timetabled services and at special 'TUGS' weekends.